


Love: Dead or Alive

by ObsidianAbyss



Series: pnat stories [2]
Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: F/F, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Rating may go higher, Rick and Mina are friendship goals, Rick you slut, but he just really wants to be loved okay, but i'll probably just post a different story for that, headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-20 13:05:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14895152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidianAbyss/pseuds/ObsidianAbyss
Summary: In which Richard Spender swings both ways: Human and Spirit.Zarei does not know how to deal with her friend's odd (wide) taste in partners.





	Love: Dead or Alive

**Author's Note:**

> If you check the alt text of Chapter 4 page 66, it says that Spender’s good at automobile maintenance, embroidery and Dance Dance Revolution.  
> I'll edit this tomorrow :)

**Start.**

“Mina, would you stop sobbing on my crochet bag and help me with my history homework.” Richard groans, kicking his friend off the bed. “I just don’t understand why Manifest Destiny can be conceptualized as a “sort of loading bar” for what’s supposed to be the best video game ever.”

“I’m not crying, Rick.” She throws the suspiciously wet crochet bag at his notes, causing him to scream in anger. “I am mourning over Cherry.”

“Ugh, Cherry as in Cherry _Rosas_? What did she do this time? Did she make another ode about the dissection and death of Froggy the toad?” He hangs his embroidery work on the headboard of his bed before checking his relatively unharmed notes. “Figures you’d like that prissy hall monitor.”

“You just don’t like her because she’s trying to shut down the School Store.” Mina huffs, feeling prickly. “And I agree with her. It’s a useless place.”

“Hey, that place is where we eat whenever we don’t have enough cash to go to minimall. It’s student friendly. I mean, we just need to give away proof of academic excellence.” Richard grumbles, scratching his head. “And I don’t like Rosas because she confiscated _all_ of my rolls of yarn and demands that I meet up with her after school to get it back.”

Mina then yanks the crochet bag off the headboard and throws it out the window.

“Zarei!” Richard shrieks, nearly falling out the window to get his work back. In his mindscape, Lucifer is shaking his head at both teens’ ridiculousness. “What in the name of spectrals is wrong with you?!”

“Let’s not talk about Cherry.” She says darkly. 

“You’re the one who brought her up! If you want, you can come with me when I get my stuff back from her.” Richard offers, not caring either way. He places his crochet bag in his closet now. When he catches her bitter expression, he snaps. “ _Mina._ ”

“Look Rick, I don’t want to talk about how the girl I like,” Mina then looks at Richard accusingly. “Has a _crush_ on you!”

Richard rolls his eyes, although the action is unseen due to his sunglasses. “Well sorry I can’t say the same for you. All the guys I like hate your guts.”

“Don’t be a jerk, Rick.” The young girl glares. “And I definitely don’t want anything to do with the guys you like. Half the time, they end up trying to kill us!”

The blond looks absolutely offended.

“ _Rude_. Isn’t it the same with Rosas? I’m seriously thinking that there’s something wrong with your head for not noticing this: Rosas hates me and wishes to go back in time to stop me from ever being born. Do you know how many times she's tried to take my sunglasses? It isn't even written in the handbook that I can't wear my protection aid! What the heck is she trying to do?”

“First of all, I think it's downright ridiculous of you to wear your tool all day. Spirits aren't going to randomly attack you, Rick. And you're not that bad at using your spectral energy."

"I'm more worried about something else attacking." Richard mutters under his breath before reasoning in a much louder voice, "You don't know that."

"And second, if you knew even half of the things that are said in the girl’s bathroom, you’ll want to stop your own birth from just knowing what she wants to do to you.” She sighs, probably wishing that Cherry would think direct those indecent fantasies to her. “You can ask that spirit living in your locker if you want. I know she listens to the gossip there every lunch break.”

“Dear Mina, I do not wish to ruin my mind by knowing what Rosas wants to do with me. Look, I read in this book that…”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t start quoting _Queer Happenings_ at me.” Mina clicks her tongue. “I just don’t understand how she can actually like you.” When she sees that Richard is about to go on a five minute long speech about his charms and funny puns, she jabs his rib. “Don’t.”

“Erk, fine.” Richard pouts, rubbing his side soothingly. “Okay, now that you got all that off of your chest, will you help with this stupid History homework.”

"Not until you take off your sunglasses."

"Mina, even the slightest light getting into my eyes will hurt them. Light that doesn't come out from me I mean. If I take these off, complete darkness will take over."

"Ugh, you're so overdramatic." She remarks but in the end, helps the blond in his homework.

And comes along with him to get his yarn back from Cherry.

 

* * *

 

“Rick, stop staring at him! We’ll be late for the movie.” Mina snaps her fingers in front of her friend to get his attention.

“But Mina, his biceps.” Richard practically drools at the sight and his sunglasses are even glinting. _Jesus._ “Can we like stay here for another five minutes so I can stare at them longer.”

“Rick, that guy’s as dumb as that spirit that decided to possess the school’s toilet plunger. At least try to be attracted to someone who can bench you _and_ deal with your nerdiness. Because trust me, anything you’ll tell him that’s remotely intellectual will kill his exponentially diminishing brain cells.”

“Well…” Richard considers her words. While he isn’t actually interested in dating him (or anyone else for that matter), he finds her concern endearing. It’s not like she knows that he isn’t holding on to only one spirit. If she did, she might be more understanding to his aversion to romantic relationships. “I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right. And I know your type and what you’re capable of.” Mina then grabs his arm and drags him away. “Now let’s get out of here. I don’t want to miss the movie trailers.”

“You’ve watched the trailer of Transforming Robots on TV tons of times.” Richard complains but allows himself to be pulled. He also doesn't mention how she just focuses on the female mechanic who wears too little clothing in all of her scenes in the trailer. As they enter the theater, he catches sight of a few spirits sitting on the empty seats towards the back. _Lucky they don’t need to pay,_ he thinks to himself.

“Hey,” Mina says a little too sharply at two birdlike spirits. “You’re in our seats.”

“Oh,” The maroon parrot humanoid spirit chirps in a mix of embarrassment and surprise. “Sorry about that.”

“At least these humans can see us. I hate it when they just sit on us with no warning.” The blue eagle turns towards them with a nod. He pauses at the sight of Richard and Mina acts before her friend gets any ideas.

“Thank you.” She says curtly pushing the blond down and sitting between the eagle spirit and Richard when she sees that the two spirits look curious enough to stay near them.

She isn’t going to let her stupid friend ruin her moment with her favorite actress on the big screen.

(In this moment of distraction, she misses how her friend gets spirited away by the blue eagle, comes back with a refilled bag of popcorn and hair messier than earlier. But she doesn't notice and Richard doesn't tell.)

 

* * *

 

_Ring, Ring, Ring_

“Rick, this better be good.” Mina growls into her phone. “It’s three in the morning and I have work to pass to the Consortium in four hours.”

“That’s your fault for spending all week trying to tame that train spirit.” Richard retorts as if he doesn't know just how important her research has been. And he does know what goes in her lab. At least, he has some idea of it because even if the blond could hide a secret to his grave, she would rather not think about how much  _she_ didn't know about him. “Anyway, I gotta ask: how would Boss Leader feel if I decided to be our lone and cold connection to the Cousinhood of Man.”

“Who’d you sleep with this time, Richard Spender?!?” Mina shrieks, forgetting that she is currently residing at the basement of her parents’ house.  And that it was too ungodly of an hour to scare her parents awake. “ _Rick.”_

“I didn’t sleep with anyone.” Richard tells her, ignoring the mocking side comments Lucifer was chirping in his head.

Mina raises her brow and snorts. "Remember Agent Regulus?"

"I have a thing for bright things you know. Uh, okay I can imagine your face right now...  Well, he's named after a star, okay?  _Anyway._ " Richard quickly changes the topic. “I just thought it would be really helpful if we had an inside voice, you know. And who better than me to take that role?”

“Are you seriously telling me how you plan on sleeping with our supposed “enemy” while you’re in Francisco Guerra’s house?”

“I’m taking care of Isabel right now and Master seems to be adverse to being within 10 feet of her at this time of the night.” Richard sighs, rocking the baby in his arms. She’s been refusing to fall asleep on her own and finally did once he picked her up. “I don’t plan on sleeping with anybody. What I'm planning is strictly business.”

“I'm sure it is... I hope you realize just how lucky you are that Boss Leader let’s you get away with everything.” _Like keeping your door at headquarters locked._ She says a bit bitterly because even she hasn’t seen what was beyond Richard’s door in Boss Leader’s dreamland headquarters. No one has. “I can only imagine what absurdity happens there.”

“Mina, in my mind lies a deep dark secret that can and will destroy everyone if that door is ever opened.” Richard says in exaggeration. He's never outgrown being an overdramatic fool. “Of course, I’d prefer that Boss Leader never knows of all my exes.”

“It's not that hard to track your type, Rick. Tall, dark and mysterious. Occasionally dead even. Depending on your mood, you even go after our enemy spirits.”

“That was _one_ time.” Richard pinches his nose. “And he became our ally anyway.”

“He burned his claws into your arm.”

“I’m a fan of pyrokinesis, sue me.” The blond admits with a bit of shame. “Back to our original topic, so how would BL react?”

“She’ll become even more suspicious of you.” Mina says, after a short pause. “But I have a feeling she’ll agree.”

Boss Leader lets him do a lot more than what she would expect her to allow. Despite the fact that it’s no secret that Spender’s known to be the only spectral to be willingly caged in Mayview. With his numerous secrets.

“Great.” Richard says, and Mina can’t help but be suspicious because deep down, she knows he’s using the ruse of wanting to get together with someone from the Cousinhood to hide something more dire. “That’s good to know.”

“Yeah, okay. I’m glad I helped. Can I get back to work now?” She groans into the phone.

“Sure, sure.” He whispers. “Thanks, Mina.”

“Yeah, yeah,” She drawls. “Goodnight, Rick.”

“Goodnight, Zarei.”

 

* * *

 

They don’t speak much after that and they rarely ever cross paths once she officially leaves Mayview to continue her research outside of the confinements of her hometown. Sometimes, she thinks about her decision to leave Richard to himself but she has her own future to think about.

But she doesn't completely leave Richard behind. She know about Garcia and is glad that her stupid friend finally decided to spend a long term relationship with a human. Not that she discriminates against his unliving lovers (she’s got a lot of shit from Richard over that particular argument), it’s just that it’s easier on her heart to know that her friend wasn’t exposing himself vulnerably to someone who could easily attack him.

(Not that she’s not aware of how well humans can hurt others.)

Still, there’s something different about Garcia. She gets the vibe that he isn’t completely human or in the dark about the spectral business. He may look like one of the more laid back teachers that would rather spend his classes sleeping than teaching, but Mina couldn’t ignore the fact that the man’s shoulders and thighs could probably break her friend’s bones with the slightest nudge.

Which he’d probably love, knowing that masochist.

And she just knows Spender wouldn't date a normal civilian. 

If Mina didn't know any better, she would say that Spender lives on the adrenaline of being constantly near danger.

 

(She's right.) 

 

* * *

 

Years later, she's back in Mayview and trapped there. Many troublesome events happen because of Richard and his merry gang of young troublemakers but she does score a date out of it, which is nice.

Of course, this goes down the drain once Mina sees the text Hijack sends her through Richard’s phone and wonders if her disaster of a friend decided to get into fire play again. And then she realizes that the scar was deeper than anything she’s accidentally walked into and doesn’t look to be very satisfying, judging from Hijack!Spender’s message.

“This man,” She rubs her head. “What on earth is he doing?

 _He’s still with that Garcia_ , she thinks as she regrettably ends her lovely lunch with Agent Day to rush to the middle school. She needs to fix the mess Hijack made and confront her stupid friend on his ridiculousness.

Honestly, she’s walked in on him in positions that would be greatly misunderstood by a nonspectral tons of times. And they shared a bond built on the incident 13 years ago.

That should be more than enough reason to stop being so damn secretive.

Yes, it's about time they both come clean about their secrets.

**End of Story.**

**Author's Note:**

> so far, this fic revolves around how the people Spender interacts with react with his open-mindedness.
> 
> Chapter 1: Mina Zarei  
> Chapter 2: Activity Consortium (Boss Leader, some agents, Francisco Guerra, Mina again maybe)  
> Chapter 3: Mayview Middle School Staff (and maybe other adults in Mayview)  
> Chapter 4: The students + Activity Club  
> Chapter 5: Spirits (Lucifer, Freaky Shadow Spirit, outsiders) and Richard's own point of view
> 
> if you'd like to suggest some interactions or your own ideas, i'm open to them :)


End file.
